New markets will offset Japanese quake

Article Excerpt

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. $160 (New York symbol IBM, Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $192.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.9; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ibm.com) has moved down from its all-time high of $167.72 in March 2011. That’s mainly because of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. IBM gets 11% of its sales from Japan, so sales of mainframe computers and services to Japanese customers will suffer while the country rebuilds. However, strong demand in China and other emerging markets, like Russia and Brazil, should offset any drop in Japanese sales. By 2015, IBM feels these markets will supply 30% of its overall revenue. IBM is still a buy. buy…